Solar ... In the news

gefnew

Hi all
Now this is a bit offbeat but also maybe an idea, do not know how practical it would be in the uk though, could be too way out.
but cheap enough for a punt.
will let you all make your minds up.
http://greenpowerscience.com/
regards
gefnew

Martyn1981

gefnew wrote: »

Hi all
Now this is a bit offbeat but also maybe an idea, do not know how practical it would be in the uk though, could be too way out.
but cheap enough for a punt.
will let you all make your minds up.
http://greenpowerscience.com/
regards
gefnew

There have been a few articles on experimentation of PV panels with lenses built on. The idea being that they catch more light etc. But this is the first I've heard of an add-on.

Could be a complete waste of money ..... or not. I suppose we really need someone with a micro or SolarEdge system that is easily accessible to slap one on and see if that panel outperforms the rest.

I'm doubtful ..... but it's certainly interesting.

zeupater

Martyn1981 wrote: »

There have been a few articles on experimentation of PV panels with lenses built on. The idea being that they catch more light etc. But this is the first I've heard of an add-on.

Could be a complete waste of money ..... or not. I suppose we really need someone with a micro or SolarEdge system that is easily accessible to slap one on and see if that panel outperforms the rest.

I'm doubtful ..... but it's certainly interesting.

Hi

The lens would need to be considerably larger than the panel in order to concentrate sunlight ... simply having it the same size would introduce more reflection and reduce panel generation.

The problem as I see it is the dissipation of heat from the silicon cells so that they're not damaged .... years ago I 'played' with concentrating sunlight through reflection - it was a DIY solution and that's exactly what you could do with it ... DestroyItYourself ... anything held at the point of focus didn't last long, either burning, melting (including copper!), shattering or at the least discolouring/deforming, so I reckon that you'd need to be careful with the level of concentration onto a cold standard silicon cell under cloud edge conditions and how that would effect the rate of chance of material temperatures ...

HTH
Z

Martyn1981

zeupater wrote: »

Hi

The lens would need to be considerably larger than the panel in order to concentrate sunlight ... simply having it the same size would introduce more reflection and reduce panel generation.

HTH
Z

What I recall are lenses for the panels so that they catch the light better from any angle. I think they've been mentioned on here before, but it could be years ago.

OK, found this, does a tracker system with only a tiny movement ring a bell with you? I think, it's what I'm thinking off, though I don't think it was a New Scienntist/Scientific America article:

Tiny Lenses and Mirrors May Bring Concentrating Solar Power to the Rooftop

In a study published last week in the journal Nature Communications, scientists demonstrated a device that moves less than a centimeter to follow the sun throughout the day, solving part of the tracking problem.

Mirrors get mentioned a lot, tongue in cheek on Navitron. I don't think anyone's been successful yet.

Mart.

Martyn1981

Suntech announces 20% efficiency for mass-production multi-PERC cell

This is quite a big increase from say a 285Wp panel of 17.5%, or say a 250Wp panel at 15.5%.

However, I'm not entirely sure where these panels fit into the mix, that's to say I'm not sure if these are 'normal' panels, or a type of enhanced panel that costs more.

Still, it sounds good ...... !

Martyn1981

The National Grid is going to invest around £81m with Sunrun aimed at boosting the growth of the household solar rooftop market.

There's only one small issue!

National Grid invests $100m in US solar partnership with Sunrun

The joint venture is initially targeting approximately 100,000 single family homes in National Grid's downstate New York service area for solar rooftop installations, but the firm also plans to work with Sunrun to explore better distribution, balance and optimisation of the energy grid in view of the increasing prominence of renewables generation.

John Flynn, SVP of strategy and business development at National Grid, said the partnership would provide an opportunity to increase the UK firm's capability in the distributed energy space "and enhance our ability to meet the changing energy needs of our customers and communities".

Martyn1981

Or perhaps good news, good news.

Record 70GW solar added globally last year despite reduced investment – BNEF

Solar deployment grew to a record 70GW worldwide last year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) estimates, despite a decline in overall clean energy investment.

A BNEF report ‘Global trends in clean energy investment’ found that by taking all categories of investment into account, solar reached US$116 billion last year, down 32% from 2015 levels, mainly due to lower costs per MW. Despite the drop, solar remained the leading sector.

For overall clean energy, new investment dropped to US$287.5 billion, down 18% from the record US$349 billion investments of 2015.

This reduction was put down firstly to continued sharp reductions in renewable energy equipment prices, especially in PV.

Secondly, the major markets of China and Japan experienced a slowdown in construction of new large-scale projects in order to focus on integrating the large amount of capacity that they have already deployed.

Martyn1981

Following on from the Hawaiian Tesla PV farm and storage, is another similar development from AES. It will supply electricity at a lower price than the current baseload supply.

Hawaii co-op signs deal for solar+storage project at 11¢/kWh

Dive Brief:

• The Kauai Island Electric Cooperative and AES Corp. announced plans to pair a 28 MW solar array with a 20 MW, 100 MWh battery system to deliver dispatchable renewable generation to the Hawaiian island.
  
• KIUC will pay $0.11/kWh for power delivered from the solar-plus-storage system, according to a release, below the cost of oil-fired power that comprises the island's current baseload generation.
  
• The project is the second flexible solar facility for the small co-op. In 2015, KIUC signed a deal with SolarCity to pair a 13 MW solar array with a 52 MWh battery that will deliver power for $0.145/kWh.

AES to build solar energy storage project in Hawaii

The project consists of 28 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) and a 20 MW five-hour duration energy storage system. The system will be located on former sugar cane land between Lāwaʻi and Kōloa on Kauaʻi's south shore. It will be the largest solar-plus-utility-scale-battery system in the state of Hawaii.

lstar337

UK-based solar company Azuri Technologies and Kenyan satellite TV provider Zuku launched the service in Kenya in December.
A solar panel is fixed to the roof of a customer's home, and connects to a battery which powers a range of appliances, including lamps, a mobile phone charger, and a 24-inch (61cm) TV which accesses Zuku's Smart satellite TV service.
Users pay an upfront fee of 4,999 Kenyan shillings (£39) for the system, and thereafter pay 149 shillings(£1.15) per day. By the end of two years on this payment schedule, customers own the kit outright.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38680093

Martyn1981

lstar337 wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38680093

What a lovely news story, and I can imagine one bod charging their friends to watch telly and charge up their phones, like a mini business.